Oscar Pistorius parole: All must be equal before the law says IFP Women's Brigade

JUNE 10, 2015

The Inkatha Freedom Party's (IFP) Women's Brigade is the latest organisation to join voices that are calling for the Correctional Services Department to review its decision to release Oscar Pistorius in August - exactly 10 months into his five-year sentence.

Pistorius should spend the rest of his sentence in jail, the Women's Brigade said on Wednesday.

"The IFP Women's Brigade is very disappointed to learn that Oscar Pistorius will be released back into society so quickly after he was convicted for his part in the killing of Reeva Steenkamp," chairperson, Madlopha-Mthethwa, said in a statement.

"The Department of Correctional Services and parole board must be aware that if they release Oscar so soon, they will be sending a message that people can commit murder and get away with a slap on the wrist. Oscar was convicted in a court of law and must therefore serve his sentence."

On Monday, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed that Pistorius would be paroled in August.

"The acting national commissioner of correctional services Mr Zach Modise has confirmed that the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) of Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre, sat on June 5, [Friday] 2015 and approved the placement of Oscar Pistorius under correctional supervision with effect from August 21, 2015," the department said in a statement.

It said that in line with the provisions of both the Criminal Procedure and Correctional Services Acts, Pistorius' grilfriend's family, the Steenkamps, were invited and participated in the deliberations of the CSPB.

Madlopha-Mthethwa said if South Africa wanted to eradicate the scourge of violence towards women, the decision to grant Pistorius parole must be "reversed urgently".

"It does not get any more serious than murder and there is no hierarchy in terms of which life is more important than another. There should be no 'untouchables' in our country as our constitution guarantees that all people are equal before the law."

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